Health departments in the Northwoods have plans in place should the coronavirus outbreak reach the Northwoods and spreads.
Assistant Director at the Vilas County Health Department Tammi Boers says there have been no reports of anyone sick with the coronavirus in Vilas county, but none-the-less they have plans in place in case there is a breakout. She says they first used the plan in 2009 with the H1N1 virus.
She says they're updating the plan based on the Centers For Disease Control recommendations..
"That includes a lot of social distancing-type things. If you're sick, stay home. They're recommending stay 6 feet away from people who are ill, things like that. We're doing updates within the county and we're working with other area health departments and our hospitals and the tribes so we know how our plans work..."
Tammy Boers says the plans can be implemented very quickly. She says right now it's low risk, so they're doing more educational outreach. If someone does come down with the virus, the plan gets kicked up a notch.
She says the basic safeguards apply anywhere...
"Wash your hands, stay home when you're sick and cover your cough and sneezes..."
One footnote is a recent report from National Public Radio found experts saying 20,000-40,000 people have died from common influenza in the U.S. this flu season. We have a link to that report(above) and the CDC coronavirus information here.